Mark Stavish

Mr. Mark Stavish, who leads the Institute for Hermetic Studies and is a widely known and published esoteric author himself, kindly wrote a review of The Mystical Hexagram and posted it on Amazon.com yesterday. I reproduce below. He gave the book 5-stars.

Over a year ago Dr. Vasey was kind enough to send me a copy of his book The Mystical Hexagram. In a slim volume of under 100 pages, Dr. Vasey and his co-author Sue Vincent have managed to pack a great deal of information on the importance of what must be the most common of esoteric symbols – the interlaced triangles or hexagram. However, while some references are cited, the book, or monograph really, is a summary of Dr. Vasey’s considerable reflections and meditation on this important symbol. A symbols Dr. Franz Hartmann in his work, Magic White and Black, saw in the hexagram, “This is one of the most important magical signs, and practically applied invests man with magic power…Knowing that sign practically means to realize the nature of God…to be God and to know…”.

What makes The Mystical Hexagram of value to the reader is not simply Dr. Vasey’s commentary, but in addition a set of simple and progressive exercises that one can perform to deeper their personal connection and understanding of this symbol that has for many become a representation of the Great Work itself. It is also a template for guide for students as well, in that it is a working example of how to undertake this kind of reflective work for oneself – work essential to progressing on the Path of Return. In this way, The Mystical Hexagram is not only to be read, but studied and even imitated so that its deeper lessens can become one’s own.

For myself I was particularly pleased to read many comments similar to my own, from an article written nearly twenty years ago on the same subject entitled, “Notes on the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram”. The book’s endorsement by no less a luminary than Dr. Vasey’s teacher Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, Director of Studies for the Servants of the Light school of esotericism, and author of numerous works on Western esoteric practices is also reason alone to read it. (I had the good fortune to interview Ashcroft-Nowicki many years ago, and that interview along with my article on the the hexagram can be read at: http://www.hermeticinstitute.org.) In publishing their private reflections in The Mystical Hexagram the authors have provided a wonderful and much needed tool for students of esoteric symbolism and ritual magic. Take advantage of this wonderful guide and let it help you as you walk the Path of Return.

The original review may be found here. My thanks to Mr. Stavish for his very kind review.

Meanwhile, Corpus Stavish is a place where you can read a lot of his writings including his thoughts on the Hexagram

I just finished a book by Mark Stavish called The Inner Way – The Power of Prayer and Belief in Spiritual Practice. Prayer is a very powerful tool that we have in our armory of magickal tools and one that is often overlooked. This is my review from Strange Book Reviews – my book review website.

Five-stars from me for a wonderful book.

There are books that you read, enjoy, perhaps assimilate a little of, and then consign to the dusty shelf of books once read but never retouched. There are other books that you read turning page after page, eager to move on, knowing that to properly assimilated, the book will need to be kept close at hand to be read, reread and dipped into when necessary. These latter types of books are few and far between but, The Inner Way – The Power of Prayer and Belief in Spiritual Practice is certainly one of them.

A few years ago, I made a determination that, to all intents and purposes, I was on my own when it came to pursuit of the esoteric and spiritual. To a large degree, I actually tried not to read books on the topic for answers so much as for corroboration and to regenerate my enthusiasm for the search. I simply came to realize that the answers were actually all known to me – the inner me. Other people’s answers may show the way to heaven or to hell, but it was their answer not mine. All I had to do (as if this is in any way an easy task – it is not) was to seek the answers there within myself. This book, it seems to me, concurs with that view, reminding me of how to do this, and providing the tools and techniques all at the same time.

Fundamentally, the book is about prayer. Yes, prayer. How many books on occult techniques and practices ever really get to grips with prayer? Prayer is a fundamental aspect of spiritual practice and one that seems to me to be remarkably undervalued and mostly overlooked these days. This book gets to grips with prayer – what it is, why it is important and provides guidance on how to prayer. For that fact alone, it is, in my opinion, an essential addition to any library of occult classics.

However, the appendices (which form around half of the book) contain a great deal of additional information supplemented with many and varied references that are also invaluable. These appendices are in of themselves a veritable treasure trove of wisdom, reference sources and meditation material. I particularly enjoyed the ideas contained regarding magic in the modern world and in creating reality.

Mr. Stavish and his colleagues have produced a classic text here. Highly recommended.

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About me

G. Michael Vasey is a Yorkshire man and rabid Tigers fan that has spent most of his adult life lost deep in Texas and more lately, in the Czech Republic. While lucky enough to write for a living as a leading analyst in the commodity trading and risk management industry, he surreptitiously writes strange poems and equally strange books and stories on the topics of metaphysics, the occult and the paranormal on the side, hoping that one-day, someone might actually buy them.
After growing up experiencing ghosts, poltergeist and other strange and scary experiences, he developed an interest in magic and the esoteric. These days he fancies himself as a bit of a mystic and a magician to boot. Most of his inspiration for his scribbling comes from either meditation or occasionally, very loud heavy metal music.
He has appeared on radio shows such as Everyday Connection and X Radio with Rob McConnell to tell strange and scary stories. He has also been featured in Chat - Its Fate magazine and interviewed by Ghost Village and Novel Ideas amongst others.
He blogs addictively at garymvasey.com and he tweets micro thoughts at @gmvasey. He also reviews a lot of very weird books at strangebookreviews.com.